A true Muttaqoon is a person who strives to possess a solid understanding and knowledge of the rulings of Allah (swt) through the Qur’an and Sunnah. Without proper knowledge of the Islamic rulings, a person would not know what is asked of him/her. Therefore, it is a must to understand Islam properly as well as to have the proper intention of pleasing Allah (swt) in carrying out these actions.
Imam Ahmad mentions a Hadith, narrated by a Sahabi, whereby a person once asked, “Oh Messenger of Allah, give me some advice.” The Prophet (saaw) responded, “I advise you to fear Allah (swt) because it is the head of everything.” In another occasion the Prophet (saaw) replied, “Fear Allah (swt) because it is the collection of all goodness.”
The Sahabah, may Allah be pleased with them, demonstrated this on many occasions. This can be demonstrated through the incident of Abu Dharr Ghaffari and Bilal al-Habashi.
Abu Dharr was once engaged in an argument with Bilal. In the heat of the disagreement, Abu Dharr addressed Bilal as “You son of a black woman!” Bilal’s response was not to insult Abu Dharr as some Muslims might do today. He immediately went to Rasullallah (saw) and relayed what Abu Dharr had said. The Prophet addressing Abu Dharr said “You have exceeded the limit O Abu Dharr ! You still have traces of Jahilliyah in your mind. There is no difference between an Arab and a non-Arab except by Taqwa “
Upon hearing this Abu Dharr (ra) immediately placed his head on the ground and urged Bilal (ra) to stamp Abu Dharr’s face in the ground with his own Abyssinian feet. Bilal did not do so.
Thereafter, Allah revealed the verse: “O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).” [49:13]
Allah (swt) also promises to be with those who have Taqwa. Allah (swt) says,
Truly, Allah is with those who fear Him (have Taqwa), keep their duty unto Him, and those who are Muhsinun (doers of good for Allah’s sake only.) “[An-Nahl 16: 128]
Also Taqwa constitutes a reason that Allah (swt) has provided in order to help one who is experiencing hardship and distress. Allah (swt) promises,
“Whoever fears Allah, Allah will grant him a way out of hardship.” [At Thalaaq 65: 2]
Allah (swt) had also promised forgiveness of sins to those people who are Muttaqoon.
“And whoever fears Allah, and keeps his duty to Him, He will forgive his sins from him and will enlarge his reward.” [At-Thalaaq 65: 5]
Allah (swt) has given the glad tidings for those who have Taqwa. The news of paradise is assured to such people, giving hints at the vast rewards to those who take Allah (swt) as their Lord in their actions.
“Verily those who are fearful of Allah (have Taqwa) are the people who, when an evil thought comes to them from Satan, they remember Allah and indeed they then see aright.” [Al-Araf 7: 201]
Hence, from what Allah (swt) has outlined through the Wahi, we can see that a person who possesses Taqwa is not one who lives an isolated life, only praying, fasting, and maintaining good character alone. Instead, the Muttaqoon are those who fear Allah (swt) and look to what Allah (swt) has commanded in carrying out his actions to avoid His (swt) displeasure and anger. These people are involved with the Ummah, active in his/her life, concerned with the affairs of the Muslims, while at the same time praying, fasting, spending in Allah’s cause, having good morals, and are forgiving. All these descriptions can be attributed to a person who has Taqwa.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Taqwa - Part 1 of 2
Allah says “Alif Laam Meem. This is the book, in it is guidance sure without doubt, for those who have Taqwa” [2:2]
Taqwa is one of the most important concepts in Islam. Taqwa is an avenue by which Muslims relate to one another in society and a means to channel their actions. Because of the great importance of Taqwa, it has been referred to numerous times in the Qur’an and Sunnah in order to emphasise its relevance and significance to the Muslims.
Allah (swt) strongly emphasises the rewards of people with Taqwa in this life and the Hereafter. It is these Muttaqeen that Allah (swt) grants assistance, victory, and provides for. Thus, understanding the concept of Taqwa is vital and mandatory for every Muslim.
Unfortunately, this is the very concept which the Muslims have left behind, as a result of faulty education. The disbelievers in the distant past, as well as in present times, have understood the importance of Taqwa and the Islamic creed, and how it could jeopardise their interests. They realised how Taqwa and the Islamic creed (Aqeedah) were the roots of power to the Muslims. Thus they began to warp and dilute it by adding Greek, Persian, and Hindu ideas and philosophies to it. Eventually, the Muslims began to incorporate the false ideas of the body and soul, and their inter-relationship, into the original, pristine Islamic Concept of Taqwa.
As a result, Muslims started portraying a person possessing Taqwa as soft-spoken, elevated, calm, pious, spiritual, and adorned with a certain type of holy attire (clothing). A picture of a person who shows prayer, fasting, and things such as donating to the Masjid, while living a secluded and isolated life would be the one with Taqwa, even though the same person might deal with usury, lie, and sell alcohol. They began manufacturing their own version of Taqwa and fed this false sentiment to the Ummah.
In contrast to this distorted picture the Qur’an and Sunnah defines the idea of Taqwa as protecting oneself from the Hellfire by following the orders of Allah (swt) by doing what He (swt) has commanded and avoiding what He (swt) has forbidden. Many Ayat in the Qur’an point up these ideas,
“And unto Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth. And, verily, We have recommended to the people of the Scripture before you, and to you (O Muslims) that you (all) fear Allah (have Taqwa), and keep your duty to Him, But if you disbelieve, then unto Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth, and Allah is Ever Rich, Worthy of all praise.” [An-Nisa 4: 131]
Also, in the Prophet’s (saw) last Khutba he said, “I ask you to fear Him (swt), listen to Him (swt), and obey.” Both the Ayah, as well as the Hadith, are commanding Muslims to have Taqwa. A person should have Taqwa as a barrier between himself and the Anger and Displeasure of Allah (swt). Through Taqwa, the Muslim strives to obey Allah (swt) and abstains from His prohibitions.
The son of Ali (ra), Al-Hasan (ra) once said, “The people who have Taqwa (Al-Muttaqoon) are the people who avoided whatever Allah (swt) has prohibited and have done whatever Allah (swt) has ordained.”
‘Umar ibn Abdul Aziz (ra) once said, “Taqwa is not by fasting the day and not by praying the night. And its not by mixing between the two of them. But Taqwa is leaving what Allah (swt) has made Haram and by doing what Allah (swt) has made Fard. After one has done this, Allah (swt) will provide good things for that person.”
How can we undertake this if we do not know what Allah likes or dislikes? (‘Ilm Daroorah)
...to be continued ( Inshallah )
Taqwa is one of the most important concepts in Islam. Taqwa is an avenue by which Muslims relate to one another in society and a means to channel their actions. Because of the great importance of Taqwa, it has been referred to numerous times in the Qur’an and Sunnah in order to emphasise its relevance and significance to the Muslims.
Allah (swt) strongly emphasises the rewards of people with Taqwa in this life and the Hereafter. It is these Muttaqeen that Allah (swt) grants assistance, victory, and provides for. Thus, understanding the concept of Taqwa is vital and mandatory for every Muslim.
Unfortunately, this is the very concept which the Muslims have left behind, as a result of faulty education. The disbelievers in the distant past, as well as in present times, have understood the importance of Taqwa and the Islamic creed, and how it could jeopardise their interests. They realised how Taqwa and the Islamic creed (Aqeedah) were the roots of power to the Muslims. Thus they began to warp and dilute it by adding Greek, Persian, and Hindu ideas and philosophies to it. Eventually, the Muslims began to incorporate the false ideas of the body and soul, and their inter-relationship, into the original, pristine Islamic Concept of Taqwa.
As a result, Muslims started portraying a person possessing Taqwa as soft-spoken, elevated, calm, pious, spiritual, and adorned with a certain type of holy attire (clothing). A picture of a person who shows prayer, fasting, and things such as donating to the Masjid, while living a secluded and isolated life would be the one with Taqwa, even though the same person might deal with usury, lie, and sell alcohol. They began manufacturing their own version of Taqwa and fed this false sentiment to the Ummah.
In contrast to this distorted picture the Qur’an and Sunnah defines the idea of Taqwa as protecting oneself from the Hellfire by following the orders of Allah (swt) by doing what He (swt) has commanded and avoiding what He (swt) has forbidden. Many Ayat in the Qur’an point up these ideas,
“And unto Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth. And, verily, We have recommended to the people of the Scripture before you, and to you (O Muslims) that you (all) fear Allah (have Taqwa), and keep your duty to Him, But if you disbelieve, then unto Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth, and Allah is Ever Rich, Worthy of all praise.” [An-Nisa 4: 131]
Also, in the Prophet’s (saw) last Khutba he said, “I ask you to fear Him (swt), listen to Him (swt), and obey.” Both the Ayah, as well as the Hadith, are commanding Muslims to have Taqwa. A person should have Taqwa as a barrier between himself and the Anger and Displeasure of Allah (swt). Through Taqwa, the Muslim strives to obey Allah (swt) and abstains from His prohibitions.
The son of Ali (ra), Al-Hasan (ra) once said, “The people who have Taqwa (Al-Muttaqoon) are the people who avoided whatever Allah (swt) has prohibited and have done whatever Allah (swt) has ordained.”
‘Umar ibn Abdul Aziz (ra) once said, “Taqwa is not by fasting the day and not by praying the night. And its not by mixing between the two of them. But Taqwa is leaving what Allah (swt) has made Haram and by doing what Allah (swt) has made Fard. After one has done this, Allah (swt) will provide good things for that person.”
How can we undertake this if we do not know what Allah likes or dislikes? (‘Ilm Daroorah)
...to be continued ( Inshallah )
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Fasting in Syawal
It is the month of Syawal: a month of joy and a month of freedom. We should also not consider Ramadhan as the only month for us to perform ibadah.
If in Ramadhan we had controlled our tongues from talking or conversing inappropriately, we should continue to do so for the rest of our lives. If in Ramadhan we had controlled our eyes from looking at things most despicable, it does not mean that after Ramadhan, we could return to our old ways.
Perhaps there are among us who feel that there were many shortcomings done in the last Ramadhan. Perhaps the ibadah were not performed perfectly and perhaps missed the opportunity to get the benefits of the 1000 months.
Verily Allah, The Almighty offers us the opportunity to His servants. It is up to us to seize the opportunity.
In this month, there are many acts which can be performed to complement and continue from our acts in the past month.
The complementary ibadah referred to is the six days fast in the month of Syawal - whether it is performed continuously or alternately in Syawal. The fast of 6 days in Syawal has many benefits. Amongst them, as reported in a hadith which means: He who fasts in the month of Ramadhan followed by 6 days in Syawal, it is as if he has fasted for 1 year.
It means that if you complete the fast of 1 month of Ramadhan and continue with 6 days of fasting in Syawal, you will be rewarded with the rewards of someone who has fast for 1 full year.
If we analyse that hadith, we can conclude that it corresponds to Allah’s commands in Surah Al An’am verse 160 which means: “He that does good will have ten times as much to his credit. He that does evil shall only be recompensed according to His evil. No wrong shall be done unto any of them.”
From this verse, we can see that the 30 days of fasting that we have endured in Ramadhan equates to 10 months of fasting! And the 6 days of fasting in Syawal would equate to 2 months. Thus, we will complete 12 months of fasting, which would equate to fasting for 1 whole year!
This is explained in another hadith which means: “Allah will reward every good act ten times over. And so 1 month of good deeds will sow the equivalent of 10 months of rewards. And 6 days after ‘Eid Fitr completes the 1 year.”
This is the benefit Allah has offered to us for us to reap. For those who may have missed the benefits from the previous months, this is an opportunity which you should not miss. The 6 days of fasting in Syawal is like a Rawatib prayer that completes any incomplete prayer. And surely in the course of our fasting in Ramadhan there must have been numerous mistakes that we have made. By fasting 6 days in Syawal, it creates an opportunity for us to atone for those mistakes in our fasting.
Let us increase our ibadah in this significant month in Islam. And may our good deeds be rewarded and accepted by Allah, The Almighty.
… excerpts taken from MUIS’ Friday Sermon dated 21 December 2001
If in Ramadhan we had controlled our tongues from talking or conversing inappropriately, we should continue to do so for the rest of our lives. If in Ramadhan we had controlled our eyes from looking at things most despicable, it does not mean that after Ramadhan, we could return to our old ways.
Perhaps there are among us who feel that there were many shortcomings done in the last Ramadhan. Perhaps the ibadah were not performed perfectly and perhaps missed the opportunity to get the benefits of the 1000 months.
Verily Allah, The Almighty offers us the opportunity to His servants. It is up to us to seize the opportunity.
In this month, there are many acts which can be performed to complement and continue from our acts in the past month.
The complementary ibadah referred to is the six days fast in the month of Syawal - whether it is performed continuously or alternately in Syawal. The fast of 6 days in Syawal has many benefits. Amongst them, as reported in a hadith which means: He who fasts in the month of Ramadhan followed by 6 days in Syawal, it is as if he has fasted for 1 year.
It means that if you complete the fast of 1 month of Ramadhan and continue with 6 days of fasting in Syawal, you will be rewarded with the rewards of someone who has fast for 1 full year.
If we analyse that hadith, we can conclude that it corresponds to Allah’s commands in Surah Al An’am verse 160 which means: “He that does good will have ten times as much to his credit. He that does evil shall only be recompensed according to His evil. No wrong shall be done unto any of them.”
From this verse, we can see that the 30 days of fasting that we have endured in Ramadhan equates to 10 months of fasting! And the 6 days of fasting in Syawal would equate to 2 months. Thus, we will complete 12 months of fasting, which would equate to fasting for 1 whole year!
This is explained in another hadith which means: “Allah will reward every good act ten times over. And so 1 month of good deeds will sow the equivalent of 10 months of rewards. And 6 days after ‘Eid Fitr completes the 1 year.”
This is the benefit Allah has offered to us for us to reap. For those who may have missed the benefits from the previous months, this is an opportunity which you should not miss. The 6 days of fasting in Syawal is like a Rawatib prayer that completes any incomplete prayer. And surely in the course of our fasting in Ramadhan there must have been numerous mistakes that we have made. By fasting 6 days in Syawal, it creates an opportunity for us to atone for those mistakes in our fasting.
Let us increase our ibadah in this significant month in Islam. And may our good deeds be rewarded and accepted by Allah, The Almighty.
… excerpts taken from MUIS’ Friday Sermon dated 21 December 2001
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Story of a Beautiful Woman's Marriage
There was this beautiful woman, who wanted to get married, but she wanted a very pious husband, so she said that she’ll marry the man who recites the whole Quran every single day, fasts for the whole year and stays awake and worships Allah all throughout the night.
She was a very beautiful woman, and a lot of suitors wanted to marry her, but they knew they couldn’t fulfil the conditions she set. Until this one man stepped forward and said he could fulfil them. So the Imam got both of them married.
After the first night of the marriage, the wife sees that the husband doesn’t recite the whole of the Quran, nor does he fast, nor does he stay awake in the worship of Allah, she decided to let it roll on for a few weeks to see if there were any changes, there weren’t, so she filed a complaint and asked for a divorce.
They are both taken in front of the judge, and the judge asked, ‘What were the conditions of the marriage?’ the man replied ‘They were for me to recite the whole Quran daily, keep fast for the whole year and to worship Allah all throughout the night.’
The Judge asked, ‘ did you fulfil them? The man calmly answered, ‘…yes.’
The judge answers, ‘you lie, your wife has said that you don’t, that’s why she’s asking for a divorce’.
But the man insisted that he had fulfilled the conditions, so the judge asked, ‘did you recite the full Quran everyday?’ The man answered yes. The Judge, baffled asked, ‘how? How can you do that?’ The man coolly answered, ‘I recite Surah Ikhlas three times a day and according to Prophet Muhammad (saw), reciting Surah Ikhlas three times is equivalent to reciting the whole Quran.’ The Judge was intrigued, so he asked, ‘how did you fast the whole year?’ The man answered, ‘ I fasted for the whole month of Ramadan, then kept another six fasts in the month of Shawwal, according to Prophet Muhammad (saw), keeping all of the fast of Ramadan then keeping six fasts in the month of Shawwal, is as if you have fasted for the whole year.’
The Judge remained silent, he couldn’t give a reply saying the man was wrong, so finally he asked, ‘ how did you stay awake all night and worship Allah, when your wife saw you sleeping?’ The Judge thought the man wouldn’t be able to answer this one, but the man, cool as a cucumber answered, ‘I prayed Salatul Isha with jamaat, then the next day prayed Salatul Fajr with jamaat, according to Prophet Muhammad (saw), the one who prays Salatul Isha and Salatul Fajr with jamaat, it is as if he had stayed up all night worshipping Allah.’
The Judge sat there looking at the man; the final verdict was about to be released…
He said to the man and his wife, ‘…go, just go, there is nothing wrong with this marriage’…
She was a very beautiful woman, and a lot of suitors wanted to marry her, but they knew they couldn’t fulfil the conditions she set. Until this one man stepped forward and said he could fulfil them. So the Imam got both of them married.
After the first night of the marriage, the wife sees that the husband doesn’t recite the whole of the Quran, nor does he fast, nor does he stay awake in the worship of Allah, she decided to let it roll on for a few weeks to see if there were any changes, there weren’t, so she filed a complaint and asked for a divorce.
They are both taken in front of the judge, and the judge asked, ‘What were the conditions of the marriage?’ the man replied ‘They were for me to recite the whole Quran daily, keep fast for the whole year and to worship Allah all throughout the night.’
The Judge asked, ‘ did you fulfil them? The man calmly answered, ‘…yes.’
The judge answers, ‘you lie, your wife has said that you don’t, that’s why she’s asking for a divorce’.
But the man insisted that he had fulfilled the conditions, so the judge asked, ‘did you recite the full Quran everyday?’ The man answered yes. The Judge, baffled asked, ‘how? How can you do that?’ The man coolly answered, ‘I recite Surah Ikhlas three times a day and according to Prophet Muhammad (saw), reciting Surah Ikhlas three times is equivalent to reciting the whole Quran.’ The Judge was intrigued, so he asked, ‘how did you fast the whole year?’ The man answered, ‘ I fasted for the whole month of Ramadan, then kept another six fasts in the month of Shawwal, according to Prophet Muhammad (saw), keeping all of the fast of Ramadan then keeping six fasts in the month of Shawwal, is as if you have fasted for the whole year.’
The Judge remained silent, he couldn’t give a reply saying the man was wrong, so finally he asked, ‘ how did you stay awake all night and worship Allah, when your wife saw you sleeping?’ The Judge thought the man wouldn’t be able to answer this one, but the man, cool as a cucumber answered, ‘I prayed Salatul Isha with jamaat, then the next day prayed Salatul Fajr with jamaat, according to Prophet Muhammad (saw), the one who prays Salatul Isha and Salatul Fajr with jamaat, it is as if he had stayed up all night worshipping Allah.’
The Judge sat there looking at the man; the final verdict was about to be released…
He said to the man and his wife, ‘…go, just go, there is nothing wrong with this marriage’…
Monday, September 14, 2009
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